Ruffling attachment for sewing-machines.



PATENTED APR. 12, 1904.

- W. R. PARSONS. RUFFLING ATTACHMENT FOR SEWING MACHINES.

APPLIUATION I'ILED NOV. 10, 1902.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

N0 MODEL.

No. 756,885.- PATBNTED APR; 12, 1.904.

, W. R. PARSONS. RUFFLING ATTACHMENT FOR'SEWING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 10, 1902.

N0 MODEL. 4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

' agg No. 756,885. PATENTED APR.'12, 1904.

W. R. PARSONS.

RUFFLING ATTACHMENT FOR SEWING MACHINES.

APPLIUATION FILED Nov, 10. 1902.

N0 MODEL.

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1/ l 12: IIIIJII/ iw z nesgesx Jmfen'for- No. 756,885. PATENTED APR. 12, 1904. W. R. PARSONS.

RUFFLING ATTACHMENT FOR SEWING MACHINES. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 10, 1902.

N0 MODEL.

4 SHEETS-$111731 4.

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UNITED STATES Patented April 12, 1904.

PATENT Urrrcn.

WINSLOW R. PARSONS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

SPECIFICATION forming-part of Letters Patent No. 756,885, dated April 12, 1904:;

Application filed November 10, 1902. Serial No. 130,642. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WINSLOW R. PARSONS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ruffiing Attachments for Sewing-Machines, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact specification.

My invention relates to rufliing attachments generally in which the pivoted and sliding parts of necessity require lubricating with oil to reduce the friction sufliciently to enable the ruffler to work at all accurately and with certainty. I

My invention particularly relates to improvements in ruffling attachments for sewing-machines in which the attachment is rigidly secured to the presser-bar of the sewingmachine and a ruffling-blade actuated through the medium of a lever secured to the needlebar thereof.

More specifically stated, my invention relates to the above class of rufflers in which the needle-bar lever above referred to and the lever to which the rufiiing-blade is secured and from which it directly receives its motion are upon opposite sides of the standard of the ruiiler-frame upon a pivot common to both and the lost motion of the rufliing-blade is regulated and adjusted to vary the width of the ruffle or plait by a contact device pivoted upon the needle-bar lever and adjustable between and with reference to two stops fixed upon the rufiiing-blade leveras exemplified, for example, in Letters Patent No. 354,577, granted me December 21, 1886, for Rufiiing attachments for sewing-machines.

My invention further relates to improvements in rufflers in which the foot-piece by which the ruflier is secured to the presser-bar is fixed to the frame of the-rufiier and the spring presser-foot is, secured at one end to the presser-piece,as exemplified in my Letters Patent above mentioned.

Prior to my invention a substantial number, if not all, of the rufflers upon the market have for their successful operation required the application of a lubricant for reducing the friction of the various parts of the rufiier sufficiently to enable rufliers to work at all accurately or with uniform certainty and also to reduce wear for the purposes'of necessary durability, and this particularly at the pivot of the needle-bar and ruflling-bladle and between the upper surfaces of the rufiiing-blade and plates or other devices suspended over it, at which points the friction and wear of the rufl'ler are the greatest, which use of oil, however, is not only seriously objectionable because the fabrics, and particularly fine and expensive fabrics, to be rufiied are frequently irreparably injured by the oil, but because of the accumulation of dirt and dust upon the ruifler is hereby promoted to a degree requiring frequent cleaning and that further cleaning is required owing to the spreading of the oil over the surface of the rufiier and the gumming of such surfaces and between the joints to which it is necessarily furnished.

Another serious objection to rufilers upon the market prior to my invention is the necessity of employing an expert to adjust each ruflier to the individual machine upon which it is to be operated before the ordinary user i and operator can produce a perfect rufiie or plait. In other words, when a rufl'ler is adopted for a particular make and style of sewing-machine the custom is to then perfectly fit and adjust such a ruflier to a sample machine of that style and to thereafter make all subsequent rufiiers so closely follow the construction of this first rufiier that any of them when attached to that sample machine will produce perfect rufi'les and plaits without previously fitting or adjusting them thereto. Sewing-machines, however, made by the same tools, dies, jigs, lathes, and templets diiferentiate the one from the other to a degree which requires and has always required their individual adjustment by an expert before there is any assurance that they can be suc- Ecessfully operated by the ordinary user, which differences, among other things, include variations in the length of the up or down stroke, or both, of the needle-bar, in the tension, in the stroke of the feed, and not infrequently inaccurate fitting and adjustment of various parts of a machine, and the result is that althoughevery sewing-machine of a large adjusted to do the same class and kind of stitching the fact remains that their movement is diflerentiated to a degree that a ruffier which has been accurately fitted and adjusted to one machine will not produce perfect rufiies or plaits upon the other until individually properly fitted and adjusted thereto, and which can only be done by an expert. V

Prior to my invention the adjustment of rufflers has been necessarily limited to a range of adjustment that not infrequently the variations in a sewing-machine are so great that although the machine may be adjusted to do good sewing the rufi'ler cannot be adjusted thereto at allas, for example, the length of stroke of the needle-bar may be so extended or so contracted or varying as to the point of its termination on either its up or down stroke that the rufiling-blade will move too far forward or too far short of the point at which it must stop with reference to the shoulder of the v presser-foot or the forward end of the separating-blade, or both, that the production of a perfect ruffle or plait is impossible, for it is wellunderstood that, allowingfor'the difference in the thickness of fabrics being rufHed, a perfect ruflie or plait cannot be produced without the rtiflling-blade in making a rufile or plait carried the fold of the fabric of every ruffle up to and not beyond or short of the shoulder on the presser-foot, while at the same time the separating-blade must be opposite the same point and neither beyond or short of it, all of which is equally true both in making full gathers, scant gathers, and narrow and wide plaits. All this is none the less true because a ruffler might be fitted and adjusted to the individual sewing-machine it accompanies and at the time when the machine itself is adjusted, as is customary before delivering a sewing-machine to the ordinary user, for the fact remains that such an adjustment of a ruflier in the practice of the sewing-machine trade is rarely, if ever, made, the practice being to furnish a sewing-machine with a box of attachments, including a rufiier designed for that particular style of sewing-machine taken at random from a number of rufiiers without even trying it upon the particular sewing-machine which it accompanies and, much more, without attempting to fit or adjust it thereto. Now while it is true that provision has heretofore been made for an adjustment of the separator-blade with reference to the presserfoot and for the adjustment of the presserfoot relative to the separator-blade or the ruffling-blade no means have heretofore existed for simultaneously adjusting the presserfoot and the separating-blade with reference to the rufi'ling-blade and needle-hole.

In practice the presser-bar is sometimes too large for the attachment of the ruffler, and, on the other hand, it is sometimes so small that when the rufiier is tightened thereon the ruf-' fier, or for some other discrepancies in construction, is not in position for the necessary perfect registering of the needle with the needle-hole in the presser-piece, through which 7 stroke of the needle-bar is higher than that for which the rufHer is adjusted the rufliingblade will be moved past the shoulder of the foot, at about which point it must stop in order to produce a perfect ruflie or plait, and if, on the other hand, the upstroke of the needlebar is shorter than that'for which the'rufiier is adjusted the forward stroke of the rufliingblade will terminate before reaching said shoulder, and the result in both instances'is an incomplete and imperfect rufl'le or plait, as may be.

In View of the foregoing it will now be appreciated and understood that any means, and particularly such as are hereinafter described, by which the ordinary user -of sewing-machines can readily, conveniently, and quickly perfectly fit and adjust a rufiier .to a sewingmachine so as to produce perfect ruffles and plaits, and thereby dispense with the services of an expert, is an important and substantial improvement in the art of rufilers.

The prime object of my invention is to have a ruffler of such a construction that the use of oil and other lubricant is not'only rendered entirely unneccessary, but by which the movements of the several parts of the ruffler are rendered free and accurate to a maximum degree and their friction reduced to a degree substantially promoting the durability of the rufiier, and this particularly as to those parts of the rufiier which owing to their position. and relation are subject to greater friction than other parts and in which the presence of friction is most undesirable for the best results in operation and durability.

Another object of my invention is to produce a rufiier in which provision is made'for increasing and diminishing the distance between the stops for the contact device by a movable stop adapted to increase the range of lost motion adjusted and regulated by the contact device, thereby increasing the length of the forward stroke of the ruffiing-blade in an improved manner and producing such an adjustment of the ruifling-blade in its backward stroke as to result in the production of uniform and accurate ruffles and plaits to a 7 degree impossible when there is no adjustment of the stops or either of them.

A further object is to reduce the friction of the upper surface of the rufiiing-blade and the part or parts overlying it and by such means IOO as provide against the employment at any time of a lubricant and also to combine with the rufiiing-blade a shifting ball-bearing fulcrum.

Another object of my invention is to provide for a simultaneously forward and backward adjustment of the presser-foot and the separating-blade with reference to the ri1fflingblade and the needle-hole in the presser-piece.

A still further object is to provide for simultaneously adjusting both the presser-foot and the separating'blade by means enabling the ordinary operator of sewing-machines to perfectly adjust a ruffier to unavoidable variations either in the form or relative arrangement of the parts of sewing-machines of the same style to which a ruffler has been adapted, which variations have heretofore necessitated the services of a sewing-machine expert for the proper adjustment of a ruffier thereto, but which adjustment by my invention may be now done by the ordinary and average operator ofa sewing-machine.

With these ends in view my invention consists in certain features of novelty in the construction, combination, and arrangement of parts by which the said object and certain other objects hereinafter appearing are attained, all as fully described with reference to the accompanying drawings, and more particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 illustrates a side elevation of a ruiiler embodying my 'invention in which the needle-bar lever is at the limit of its upward stroke and the rufiiing blade at the limit of its forward stroke, with dotted lines indicating the needlebar lever in a position substantially between its upper and lower stroke and with the contact device in a different adjustment than that shown in full lines. Fig. 2 is a similar view of the opposite side of the rufHer, in which the needle-bar lever and the rufliing-blade are in the same position as in Fig. 1, but with dotted lines indicating the needle-bar lever at the limit of its downward stroke and the ruffiing-blade at the limit of its backward stroke. Fig. 3 represents a top plan view of the ruffler; Fig. 4:, a similar view on the line 4 4i, Fig. 1; Fig. 5, the bottom plan view thereof on the line 5 5, Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is a top plan view of the blank from which the frame-plate of the ruffier is subsequently completed by upwardly bending the foot piece and the standard or upright ataright angle to the bed portion of the frame. Fig. 7 is a rear end elevation of the rufiier; Fig. 8, a front end elevation of the same; Fig. 9, a detail transverse section through the bedplate and the rufiiingblade carrier on the line 9 9, Fig. 3, particularly showing the ball-bearing between the rufliing-blade carrier and the slotted guide therefor of the ruffier-frame and also the manner of mounting on the ruflier-frame of the adjustable sliding plate to which the separating-blade and presser-foot are secured, to-

gether with the eccentric for adjusting same. Fig. 10 is a detail longitudinal section of the same, but further including the separatingblade, the ruifling-blade, the presser-piece, thestrip-guide thereon, and the presser-foot; Fig. 11, a detail perspective of a modified form of the presser-piece bent to position and form anda portion of the ruffier-frame; Fig. 12, an enlarged bottom plan view of the rufiiingblade, showing a means for removably attaching it to its carrier-with the ruffiing-blade shown locked thereto. Fig. 13 is a similar view showing the rufiling-blade in position for removal from its carrier. vertical section on the line 14 of Fig. 2, illustrating in detail the construction providing for ball-bearings between the upright of the rufiier-frame and the needle-bar lever and ruffiing-blade lever; Fig. 15. a side elevation of the upright and the needle-bar lever with the ruffiing-blade lever removed; Fig. 16, a detail elevation of one of the perforated plates or washers for holding the antifriction-balls of the needle-bar lever and the ruffling-blade; Fig. 17, a section through the same on the line 17 17, Fig. 16.

Similar numerals of reference indicate the same parts in the several figures of the drawlngs.

In the blank shown in Fig. 6, 1 indicates the bed-plate of the rufiier-frame; 2, the upright or standard thereof; 3, the presser-piece by which the rufiier is attached to the presserfoot of a sewing-machine, and 4 the ruffiing blade guide plate. In the finished rufiierframe the upright 2 is bent upwardly at a right angle to the bed-plate 1 of the ruffling-frame,

Fig. 14: is a as indicated, for example, in Figs. 7 and 8, and

ITO

bar of a sewing-machine, and on the same pivot on the opposite side of the upright is the rufliing-blade lever 8, or, in other words, the needle-bar lever 6 and the ruifiing-blade lever 8 are respectively pivoted on opposite sides of the upright on a pivot common to both.

On opposite sides of the upright 2 and centered on the pivot 5 are disks or plates 9 and 10, respectively, provided with a central perforation 11, by which they aresleeved on the pivot 5, which said disks are provided with perforations 12 (see Fig. 16) of a diameter slightly larger than that of antifriction-balls 13, resting in the perforations and confined therein and bearing against the upright 2, the

needle-bar, and rufiling-blade levers, respectively, to which end both of said levers are provided, respectively, with opposing annular grooves 14 15, receiving said balls, and preferably formed by bending the metal of which said levers are composed. The purpose of the perforations 12 to receive the balls is to maintain them separated from each other and also permanently at equally-distant points with reference to their bearing against the levers, and, too, by the use of aminimum number of balls reducing the friction and wear of the levers to a degree rendering the employment of a lubricant entirely unnecessary and also to reduce the cost of employing ball-bearings in a ruffler to a minimum and to a commercial basis, enabling the manufacturer to enter into competition with rufliers now on the market in which any such bearings are absent. In this connection it is proper to add that it would not be practicable from a commercial standpoint to employ ball-bearings for the needle-bar lever and ruflling-bladc lever if the annular grooves had to be entirely filled with balls, because the cost of such a number of balls would increase the cost of the ruflfler to a sum substantially destroying its sale in competition with rufilers not having ball-bearings, and therefore the result accomplished by employment of ball-bearings in rufflers would be defeated commercially if their number is not corrcsponclingly reduced, and if at the same time the reduced number are not maintained against running together in the annular grooves which should be in said lever to receive such balls. It may also be remarked that the advantage to be gained by the employment of ball-bearings in rufflers, and particularly for the pivotal points of the needle-bar lever and rufflingblade lever where the friction, wear, and strain in a ruffler is the greatest, has long been recognized as extremely desirable for the perfect operation of a rufiler and for avoiding the employment of a lubricant, owing to the impossibility of using a lubricant without frequently injuring the goods being rufiied, to say nothing of the annoyance and time required to apply it and cleaning of the ruffler after the application of the lubricant; but so far no one before my invention has discovered how to attach ball-bearings to a ruflier in a manner eliminating the obj ectionable cost before referred to, and this, no doubt, because of the peculiar construction, together with the limited space for the application of ball-bearings thereto, and particularly at the points referred to and the cheapness with which such rufliers must be manufactured and sold, if at all.

Pivoted to the lower end of the needle-bar lever is the ruffler-blade carrier 16, (see Figs. 1, 2, 4L, and 1 1,) provided with an upturned lug 17, secured to the ruifling-blade lever 8 by a pivot 18, and to the under side of which is secured a rufIiing-blade 19, the rufflingblade being preferably secured to its carrier 16 (see Figs. 12 and 13) by means of a bay onet-joint, and a fixed pin on the carrier adapted to register with, fit, and project througha hole in the ruffling-blade when the bayonet-joint is closed. In other words, the rufHing-blade is provided with perforations 20, through and beyond which the head of a screw or headed pin 21 may freely pass, and with slots 22 opening therein of a diameter conforming to the diameter of the shank of said screws or pins, which headed pins are fixed in the carrier with one of said pins so arranged as to pass through one corner of the rufiling-blade and the other at about the forward end of the carrier, a pin 23 on the carrier being so arranged that when the ruffling-blade is slipped over the headed pins and then pushed backward until the shanks of the headed pins have entered slot 22, so that the pin 23 will register with a corresponding perforation 24 of the. ruffling-blade and be forced there- I through by spring action of the ruifling-blade.

When a rufliing-blade is thus secured to its carrier, it may be readily removed by springing it clear of thepin 23 and then drawing the blade forward until the headed pins register with the receiving-openings therefor in the .blade, the advantage of this construction being that when the ruffling-blade becomes bent or otherwise injured or worn it may be removed for repairs or for the substitution of a new one without injury to any of the parts of the ruflfler and quickly and conveniently by the ordinary user of rufflers, whereas heretofore the rufliing-blades have been so attached to their carriers by rivets that an expert is required to remove them, and even then the ruflier is frequently injured and if not injured is frequently disfigured.

Directly over the ruffling-blade is the ruffling-guide 4:, which is provided with a longitudinal slot 25, through which passes a headed screw or pin 26, secured to the rufliing-blade carrier, and which, together with the slot, constitutes means for guiding the ruffling-blade in its reciprocations. The distance between the side walls of the slot 25 is slightly less than the diameter of the antifriction-ball 27, projecting partly therein and bearing against the guide 4: of the rufiling-blade 19 in such a manner as to constitute an antifriction-bearing for the ruffiing-blade in its reciprocations, and thereby substantially reduces the friction thereof as compared with ruffling-blades or carriers thereof which have heretofore had a bearing directly against said guide. The advantage of an antifriction-roller between the rufiling-blade or its carrier and the guide is not only that of reducing friction, but, more important, that of dispensing with any necessity whatever of a lubricant at this point, and thereby any injury therefrom to the goods being ruflled, and the reduction of friction to a degree promoting the durability of the rufHer and at one of the two points where the greatest wear occurs in a ruffler.

The ruffling-blade lever 8 has a forwardlyprojecting arm 28, (see Figs. 1 and 2,) provided on its outer upper edge with an angular bend, forming a fixed stop 29 for and beneath the needle-bar lever 6.

A contact device operating between two fixed stops in a ruffier can only regulate lost motion, the limit of which is fixed by the distance between said fixed stops, and therefore ward of the shoulder of the presser-foot, and,

on the other hand, when the downstroke of the needlebar is lower than that for which the ruffler was made the rufliing-bla'de does not advance far enough forward toward the shoulder to form a perfect ruffle or plait. Neither a ruffle nor a plait can be perfectly formed without the ruffling-blade stopping in its forward movement rearward of and at a distance from the shoulder of the presser-foot corresponding to about the thickness of the fabric to be rufiied, for when it falls substantially short of this the ruffle or plait, as may be, is not perfectly formed nor in position to be perfectly stitched, which latter is also a condition necessary for the production of a perfect rufile, and, on the other hand, when the ruffling-blade passes forwardly beyond the shoulder of the presser-foot the rufiie formed during the advanced movement of the blade is pulled out and distorted by the time the rufiiing-blade reaches the limit of such a forward movement and further distorted by the withdrawal of the ruffiing-blade from this advanced position rearward of the shoulder, and in either event properly stitching is prevented. Again, in sewing-machines in which oscillating or rotary shuttles are employed the rufliing-blade should not move as far forward to produce perfect work as in sewing-machines having reciprocating shuttles, for with oscillating or rotary machines if the rufflingblade moves toofar forward of the needle the tension of the thread will not draw the stitch tight enough, but leave the stitch loose, the result of which is the imperfect stitching of the ruffle, whereas, on the other hand, with reciprocating-shuttle machines the rufiiingblade must pass farther forward of the point of the needle to tighten the stitch, and one of the objects of my invention is to remove the objections referred to common to the employment of fixed stops and meet the requirements in sewing-machines the shuttles of which are either oscillating, rotary, or recip- 'rocating, and this by such an adjustment of one of the stops for the contact device as will under every condition of any of those sewing-machines provide for perfectly adjusting the ruffiing blade to the shoulder of the presser-foot both for producing scant and full gathers and narrow and wide plaits. To these ends the needle-bar lever, is also provided at about its upper end with a lug 30, to which by a pivot 31 is pivoted a movable and adjustable stop 32, which, like the fixed stop 29, is permanently in the path of movement of the needle bar lever. The movable stop 32 is formed by aright-angle bend on a lever 33 and preferably a spring lever or arm, which projects downwardly across the arm 28 of the lower fixed stop 29 and is bent at 33 (see Fig. 1) around said arm, at which point a thumb-screw 33 passing through the arm and impinging against arm 28, operates to lock the lever 33 to said arm, which is provided with gage-marks 3 1 (shown in Fig. 2) to determine the adjustment made of the movable stop. Both the fixed stop 29 and the movable stop 32 are adapted to be engaged at will by the needle-bar lever and also by a contact device 35, pivoted to the needlebar lever 6 by a pivot 36 at a point between said two stops, the contact device being provided with a lever or a handle 37 bent at its lower end around and so as to move on asegment-gage 38, formed on or secured to aportion of the needle-bar lever projecting rearwardly from its pivot 5, a thumb-screw 39 serving to lock the lever 37, and with it the contact device, at any point upon the segment-gage. The movable stop by its angular form and the manner in which it is pivoted is so constructed that when its lever 33 is swung forwardly to position (shown in full lines in Fig. 2) the length of movement of the needle-bar lever between the stops is the greatest, and when the lever 33 is swung rearwardly to the limit of its movement'in that direction this length of movement is gradually decreased and is the shortest when the lever is at the limit of its rearward movement, as indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 2.

. The contact device 35 is substantially triangular in form, so that when the lever 37 thereof is swung to its lowest position of the sector-gage 38 both the upper and lower edges of the contact device will lie parallel with the corresponding edges of the needlebar lever. The width of the contact device is such that in one position its edges do not project beyond the edges of the needle-bar lever, and when the contact device is in this position the upper stroke of the needle-bar lever, and therefore the length of its lost motion, may be increased and decreased and the forward stroke of the blade be correspondingly increased and decreased by the adjustment of the contact device, as before described, within'the range of movement of the adjustable stop, and to this extent the limit of the forward stroke of the rufiiing-blade is increased or diminished alone by the adjustment of the movable stop. The upper side of the triangular contact device is longer than the lower side thereof, and the pivot of the contact device is located above a line drawn centrally through the base and point of the triangle, so that when the contact device is swung to the position indicated by dotted lines in Fig. lthat is to say, the lever of the contact device is swung to a position about midway the length of the sector-gagethe base of its triangle is moved upwardly in a plane above the upper edge of the needle-bar lever, as indicated by said dotted lines, the result being that the length of lost motion of the needle-bar arm is correspondingly shortened without regard to the position of the upper adjustable stop, but of course correspondingly decreased in shortness when the lever of the adjustable stop is swung rearward and likewise correspondingly increased as the lever of the adjustable stop is swung forward. With the contact-point in the elevated position above the edge of the needlebar arm, as just described and indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1, and the adjustable stop is in its lowered position, as indicated by dotted lines in the same figure, the rufHing-blade will be adjusted withreference to the needle to its minimum or shortest forward stroke, while at the same time it will make the full length of its rearward stroke, the successive continuous movements of which strokes is necessary for the making of scantest gathers and narrowest plaits. If, however, the lever 37 of the contact device be moved to the upper end of the sector-gage, the elevated position of the contact device above the edge of the needle-bar lever will not be changed, but the lower forward edge will be projected to the limit of its movement below the lower edge of the needle-bar lever, and as a result the ruffling-blade will be moved to the limit of its backward stroke without changing the limit of its forward stroke last described, and from the foregoing it will be understood that the adjustments of the movable stop and the contact device at varying points between the points specifically mentioned will vary the adjustment described in connection thereto to a relative degree. The extreme range of the various adjustments of the contact device and the adjustable stop are only necessary for the perfect adjustment of a ruflier for the making of full and scant gathers and narrow and wideplaits in the absence of an adjustment of the presser-foot relative to the rufiiing-blade and the separating-blade-that is to say, only when the difference in the stroke of the needle-bars of sewing-machines is so great that the range of adjustment of the ruffler is insuflicient without adjusting the presser-foot itself.

As a means providing for the adjustment above referred to the presser-foot 39 of my invention (see Figs. 1, 2, and 10) is made separate from the presser-piece 3, secured to a lat.- eral bar 40 (see Fig. 5) by rivets 41 41 or other means, which project between the presser-foot and the presser-piece and forms a lateral ex' tension of a longitudinally-adjustable sliding frame 42, mounted upon the ruffler-frame and having'formed thereon a curved gage 43, in which is a circular opening receiving an eccentric 44, secured to the bed-plate 1 of the ruffler-frame (see Figs. 3, 4, and 5) by a pivot 45, the eccentric being secured to a lever 46 by rivets 45, the outer end of which lever is bent over the edge of the gage-plate 43, as shown at 47 and adapted to be locked in whatever position it may have by a thumb-nut 48, (see Figs. 1, 3, 7, 8, and 14,) the eccentric 44 being clearly shown in Fig. 4, in which the lever is removed. By shifting the lever 46 the sliding frame 42 is moved longitudinally back and forth along the ruifler-frame, and by this means the presser-foot is adjusted longitudinally independent of the presser-piece and also longitudinally toward and away from the rufliing-blade 19 and the needle-hole in the presser-piece.

Separating-blade 49 is secured by a rivet or rivets 50 or other suitable means (see Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 14) to a bar-support 51, bent upwardly and over the edge of the ruff-lingframe, as shown at 52, and secured to the sliding frame 42 by means of a pin 53, secured to the rufliingframe, which pin projects through a closed-end slot 54 in the sliding frame 42 and into an open-end slot 55, formed in the bent end 52 of the separating-blade support 51. There is also an open-end slot 56 in the bent end 52 opposite the slot 55, through which passes a set-screw 57 into a sliding frame 42, and thereby securing the rufliingblade to the sliding frame.

The sliding frame 42 (see Figs. 3 and 4) is 'provided at its forward end with an elongated slot 58, through which projects a headed bolt or screw 59 into the rufiler-frame, which with a slot serves to hold the sliding frame and the ruffling-frame together, and pin 53 and slot 54 at the opposite end serve to guide the sliding frame in its adjustment for simultaneously adjusting the separating-blade and the presserfoot with reference to the ruffling-blade.

The presser-piece 3 (see Figs. 3, 4, and 10) is provided with the usual needle-hole 60, the presser-foot 51 (see Fig. 10) being also pr0- vided with an elongated needle-hole 61, registering with the presser piece needle hole throughout the limit of the forward and backward adjustment of the presser-foot, which latter is also provided with a shoulder 62, against which the ruffles or plaits are carried by the rufliing-blade in their formation. The elongation of the needle-hole 61 in the presserfoot provides for an extended range of adjusting of the presser-foot with reference to botlrthe needle-hole 60 of the presser-piece and the ruffiing-blade and also the one independently of the other, with the result that a perfect ruflie or plait is not only perfectly formed, but perfectly stitched as to place and as to tension. The presser-foot, as shown in Fig. 10, also has a downward bend from the point at which it is attached to the lateral bar to give it a spring action upon the fabric passing under it during the rufiiing operation.

The ruffling-blade carrier 16 and the ruffling-blade support 51 (see Figs. 3, 4, 5, 9, 10, and 12) are respectively provided with the usual open-end guide-strip slots 69 and 70, through which may be introduced a rufiier piece or band, and guided thereby and secured to the presser-piece is an upper-stripguide plate 71, (see Figs. 2, 3, 4, and 10,) pro vided with transverse slot 72, through which passes a set-screw 73, providing for the lateral adjustment of the plate 71, which has in its rear end an enlarged slot 74:, closed at both ends and surrounding the needle hole 60. The forward end of this guide-strip plate 71 projects under the rufliing-blade guide4, (see Fig. 10,) and between said end a closed end slot 74 is provided with an open-end slot 7 5, (see Fig. 10,) which with closed-end slot forms a guide for an upper strip. The lateral adjustability of this upper-strip guide permits the adjustablity of the strip lateral with reference to the ruflie or plait and also the location i of the line of stitching relative to the edge of said strip. The range of the lateral adjustment of this strip-guide plate, as will be seen, will be sufficient for that purpose.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a rufliing device for sewing-machines, a needle-bar lever, a rufliing-blade lever, a pivot for said levers, and a rufiiing-frame standard supporting said pivot in combination with ball-bearings interposed between said levers, and the supporting-standard, substantially as described. 2. In a rufiiing device for sewing-machines, a needle-bar lever, a ruffling blade lever, a pivot for said levers, and a ruflier-frame standard supporting said pivot in combination with a plate provided with a series of perforations interposed between said levers'and the standard, and antifriction-balls seated in said series of perforations and bearing against said levers and standard, substantially as described.

3. In a ruffiingdevice for sewing-machines, a rufiier-frame standard, a needle-bar lever and a rufiiing-blade lever respectively arranged on opposite sides of said standard, a pivot common to both of said levers supported by said standard in combination with plates arranged upon each side of the standard next thereto and supported by said said pivot, and provided with a series of perforations, the

a ruffling-blade, means for operating the same,

and a guide-plate therefor, in combination with a shifting-fulcrum for the rufiiing-blade interposed between the guideplate and said blade, substantially as described.

6. In a rufiling device for sewing-"machines,

a rufiiing-blade, a rufliing-blade carrier and a rufiiing-blade guide in combination with an antifriction-ball interposed between said carrier and guide and constituting an 'antifriction ball-bearing for the rufliing-blade, substantially as described.

7. In a ruffling device for sewing-machines, a rufliing-blade, means for operating said blade, and a guideplate therefor provided with a longitudinal slot in combination with an antifriction-ball projecting in said slot and interposed between said guideplate and the rufiling-blade, substantially as described.

8. In a rufliing device for sewing-machines, a ruffling-blade, means for operating said blade, and a guideplate therefor provided with a longitudinal slot, a pin rigidly connected with the ruiiiing-blade, projecting into said slot and thereby serving to guide the movements of the blade in a straight line in combination with an antifriction-ball arranged between the ruflling-blade and said guideplate and projecting in said slot, substantially as described.

9. In a rufl'ling device for sewing-machines, a ruffling-blade, a rufliing-blade lever, a needle-bar lever and means for operating the same, in combination with stops one of which is adjustable, a contact device and means to adjust said contact device to engage one of said stops to the exclusion of the other or to engage both of said stops, and to be disengaged from both of said stops, substantially as described.

10, In a ruflling device for sewing-machines, a rufliing-blade, a ruflling-blade lever, a needle-bar lever and means for operating the same, in combination with upper and lower stops, the upper one of which is adjustable, and a contact device and means to adjust said contact device to engage one of said stops to the exclusion of the other, or both of said stops, and to be disengaged from both stops, substantially as described.

- erating said blade, a presser-piece mounted on said frame and provided with a needle-hole, a sliding frame in combination with a presserfoot, and a separating-blade secured to said sliding frame and simultaneously adjustable with the presser-foot with reference to the needle-hole in the presser-piece, substantially as described. a

13. In a rufliing device for sewing-machines, a rufl'ler-frame, a rufiiing-blade, means for operating said blade, a presser-piece mounted on said frame and provided with a needle-hole, a sliding frame in combination with a presserfoot and a separating-blade secured to the sliding frame and simultaneously adjustable with reference to the needle-hole in the presserpiece and means for adjusting said presserfoot and separating-blade, substantially as described.

14. In a rufliing device for sewing-machines, a rufiler-frame, a rufliing-blade, means for operating said blade, a sliding frame, a presserfoot and separating-blade secured to said sliding frame in combinatibn with an eccentric connection between the ruffling-frame and the sliding frame, for adjusting the latter and with it the presser-foot and separating-blade, substantially as described.

15. In a ruffling device for sewing-machines, a ruifler-frame, a rufHing-blade, means for operating said blade, a sliding frame provided with an eccentric bearing-surface, a presserfoot supported by the sliding frame, in combination with an eccentric pivoted to the ruffling-frame and engaging said bearing-surface and means for adjusting said eccentric and with it the sliding frame and presser-foot, substantially as, described.

16. In a ruffling device for sewing-machines, a ruffler-frame, a ruffling-blade, means for operating said blade, and an eccentric pivoted thereto in combination with a presser-foot, a sliding frame, a bearing for said eccentric, whereby the presser-foot and sliding frame are adjusted upon the rufHing-frame, a gage upon the sliding frame, a lever secured to the ecdicate the degree of adjustment of the sliding frame, and meansfor locking said lever to the sliding frame in its various positions upon the gage, substantially as described.

17 In a ruffiing device for sewing-machines, a ruffler-frame, a rufliing-blade and means for operating said blade, in combination with a sliding frame provided with elongated slots toward opposite ends thereof, a set-screw passing through one of said slots into the rufflcrframe, and a pin in the rufiier-frame projecting through the other of said slots whereby the sliding frame is secured to and adjustable upon the rufHer-frame in a straight line, and a presser-foot and separating-blade secured to and simultaneously movable with the sliding frame, substantially as and for the purpose described.

18. In a ruffling device for sewing-machines, the rufl'ler-frame, a rufiiing-blade and means for operating said blade, the needle-bar lever and the ruffling-blade lever pivoted thereto a contact device pivoted to the needle-bar lever, stops upon the rufi'ling-blade lever, means for adjusting one of said stops and the contact de' vice with reference to the needle-bar lever and to each other, a presser-piece provided with a needle-hole mounted upon the ruifler-frame, in combination with a sliding frame, apresserfoot and a separating blade secured thereto and means for simultaneously adjusting said presser-foot and separating-blade to each ofv the several various adjustments of the rufflingblade, substantially as described.

19. In a rufiier, a rufiling-blade, a separating-blade and means for operating and adjusting said blades with reference to the needlehole in combination with a presser-piece pro vided with a needle-hole, a presser-foot simultaneously adjustable with the separating-blade and having an elongated needle-hole providing a needle-passage in the presser-foot registering with the needle-hole in the presser-piece throughout the adjustment of the presser-foot, substantially as described.

20. In a ruffiing device for sewing-machines, a rufHing-blade, and a carrier therefor in combination with a bayonet-joint connecting said blade and carrier, a perforation and an opposing pin adapted to fit, register with and project into said perforation and lock the bayonetjoint in a closed position, substantially as and for the purpose described.

VVINSLOW R. PARSONS.

Witnesses:

J NO. G. ELLIOTT, C. Lo BELLE.

centric andcooperating with said. gage-to in- 

